Results

KAHUKU, Hawai’i – The BYU women’s cross country team took first place in its season opener at the 19th annual Big Wave Invitational on Saturday. 

The Cougars entered the meet ranked No. 6 in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) preseason national rankings. The women competed in a 5K race and earned a perfect score of 15 points overall after sweeping the top-13 spots. 

“We accomplished what we wanted to today,” BYU associate director of cross country and track and field Diljeet Taylor said. “I’m proud of the pack running from the women and am very excited to return to Provo to continue working hard this season.”

Whittni Orton (18:05.00) finished in first place in the 5K race and led the Cougars to victory in her first meet back since an injury cut her 2018 season short. All-American Erica Birk-Jarvis finished close behind in second with a time of 18:07.00. Olivia Hoj clocked 18:09.17 to round out the top-three. 

The women secured the next 10 spots, starting with All-American Courtney Wayment (18:09.97) in fourth place. Sadie Sargent (18:29.52) placed fifth, Alissa Fielding finished close behind in sixth place with a time of 18:29.82 and Aubrey Frentheway (18:30.00) took seventh. Freshman Ember Stratton placed 13th overall for her college debut and clocked a time of 18:55.00. 

Women’s Team Notables

• BYU women’s team secured 13 of the top-20 spots, with a perfect score of 15

• Whittni Orton returned for a first-place finish overall 

• All-Americans Erica Birk-Jarvis and Courtney Wayment placed second and fourth, respectively

• Freshman Ember Stratton competed in her first collegiate race

After a two-week break, the BYU men’s and women’s cross country teams will host the BYU Autumn Classic on Saturday, Sept. 14, and race on their home course at the East Bay Golf Course.

PROVO, Utah – The BYU women’s cross country team will open its 2019 season at the Big Wave Invitational in Kahuku, HI on Saturday, Aug. 31.  

Coming off a seventh-place finish at last year’s NCAA Cross Country Nationals, the women are anticipating a strong start to the new year. The women’s team enters the season ranked No. 6 in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) preseason national rankings released on Tuesday. 

“We’re excited for this meet particularly because it’s a low pressure meet for us,” BYU associate head women’s coach Diljeet Taylor said. “We’re just trying to put in some work in early in the season before we gear up for pre-Nationals and conference next month. We’re going to work on pack running and working as a group. I’d like to see what kind of shape the women are in after the summer.” 

Along with BYU, the Hawai'i Big Wave Invitational will feature George Fox University, HPU, UH Hilo, Chaminade and Pacific (California). 

All-Americans Erica Birk-Jarvis and Courtney Wayment will be returning, along with first team All-WCC honorees – Anna Camp-Bennett, Aubrey Frentheway, Olivia Hoj and Sara Musselman. Junior Whittni Orton will also gear up to compete after returning from injury last season. 

In the 2018 season, Birk-Jarvis placed seventh overall at Nationals with Wayment close behind in 23rd, making it the first time since 2003 that the women’s team has had multiple All-Americans and the highest finish since 2003. 

Taylor is also looking forward to seeing how freshmen Ember Stratton and Sophie Lasswell perform with the team. “This is a great experience for them,” Taylor said. “They’ve worked hard over the summer so I’m excited to see how they fit in with our returners.”

Women’s Team Notables

• The Cougars ranked No. 6 in the USTFCCCA preseason national rankings
• BYU women’s cross country team will be returning two All-Americans, Erica Birk-Jarvis and Courtney Wayment
• In the 2018 season, the women finished seventh at the NCAA National Championship and claimed the WCC Championship title

“Ultimately this is an opportunity for us to have a great experience in Hawaii, get a good tempo run in and see what kind of work we need to do after that,” Taylor said. 

The Big Wave Invitational will be hosted at University of Hawai'i’s Kahuku Golf Course starting at 7:45 a.m. HT. Follow @BYUTFXC on Twitter for team updates. Live stats will be available on the BYU women’s cross country schedule page by the day of competition.